Goa Going Slumbai Goa should learn some lessons from what is happening to Mumbai. The metropolis which is increasingly being referred to Slumbai. The commercial capital of the country which has the dubious distinction of having the largest slum in Asia if not the world.
A stinking cesspool called Dharavi. Over 60 percent if not more of the population of Mumbai now live in slums. And slum colonies keep springing up not by the year or the month but by the day and by the hour. When slums get established it is impossible to remove them. What has happened to Mumbai could well happen to Goa. Goa has seen waves of immigrants. Partly because Goans are averse to manual labour of any type. All the carpenters and plumbers and masons in Goa are from outside the State. All the construction labour are from Karnataka an Maharashtra. All the employees in the steel rolling mills are from Bihar and Uttar Pradesh. All the security guards are from Orissa. We do not know whether the fact that the Governor is from Nagaland has anything to do with it. But there is an increasing number of young people from the North East in the hospitality industry. For the poverty stricken chronically drought affected states like Bihar and Orisssa, Goa is Dubai. One can see the presence and impact of continuous waves of immigration all over Goa. Particularly in villages in and around industrial estates. Just to give one instance villages like Nagoa in Verna has been virtually been taken over by immigrant labour. Then of course there is the notorious Fukat Nagar in Vasco so called because every structure is illegal. Closer to the capital city there is Goa�s own Dharavi, Chimbel. Slum colonies and illegal structures flourish in Goa as anywhere else because of the patronage extended by politicians. Once a slum colony comes up it is next to impossible to eradicate it. This has been proved time and time again. Whenever there is any attempt to clear a slum colony there is a stiff opposition from politicians. And Goa will hurtle relentlessly towards becoming a Slumbai. courtesy Goan Observer http://www.goanobserver.com/members/ (subscription article) === DARK DEEDS EXPOSED by RAJAN NARAYAN: ALL THE SKELETONS that Manohar Parrikar tried his best to hide and suppress while he was in power are coming tumbling out of his cupboard. The latest and the most shocking instance of the criminal irresponsibility with which the Parrikar regime went about awarding contracts to dubious parties is the exclusive contract entered into for sale of surplus power. Just a few months before the collapse of the Parrikar government and the termination of the Power trading agreement with Harry Dhaul, the state just escaped being taken for a further roller coaster ride by Harry Dhaul. Thanks to Goan Observer�s (Jan. 10-16, 2004) exposure of the scam, the project was abandoned and the inauguration of the same by the President, Abdul Kalam, was cancelled at the last moment. Harry Dhaul was allegedly very close to BJP leaders both at the centre and in the state and is reported to have contributed to the election war chest of the party Corporation. Harry Dhaul failed to deposit the proceeds of the sale of surplus power belonging to the government of Goa into the treasury of the State government. At the time of writing, in what senior government officials insist on casually referring to as a commercial dispute, Harry Dhaul owes the Goa government over Rs 100 crores. courtesy Goan Observer http://www.goanobserver.com/members/ (subscription article) === Joke of the Month of April (courtesy GoaNet Reader April 30, 2005) Press in Goa By Rajesh Singh The press in Goa has undergone many dramatic changes over the decades since Liberation. From being a propaganda machine of the colonialist Portuguese regime, it is today a powerful medium to convey the views and aspirations of the people of the state. The press has BECOME a WATCHDOG of society, and to a significant extent it has been keeping a watch on the performance of our public figures, not hesitating to pull them up for their lapses. Recommended Goan Sites in Cyberspace Goa-World at http://www.goa-world.com * TGF at http://www.colaco.net The Goan Forum d-list is at http://www.egroups.com/groups/goa-goans To respond directly to any post [EMAIL PROTECTED] __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com
